Sleeping outside the coop??!

[nharbison0722]

Hi everyone! I have some strange chicks, let me tell you. They are less than 6 months old, and when I went to take my dogs out tonight, I found 4 of them huddled together on top of the tractor portion of my coop/ run! Now normal they are all inside together, but I've seen them do this a handful of times now over the last month. I worry about them because the temps are getting cooler here in Texas. (But seriously, its Texas and doesn't get terribly cold and snowy) Should this be a cause for concern?
Thanks for your help!
Take care!
Neil

 

[mountainbunny]

All 6 of my chickens, 5 hens and 1 too slept cuddled together on the floor by the coop door til they were about 5 months old. Not sure why. After some type predator managed to bust through heavy duty chicken wire and also open the coop door and my chickens fled to the roosting and nesting area to escape attack. Ever since then they go to sleep on the roosting area at sundown. I'm assuming it was the scare that motivated them. There roosting area is up high and enclosed from rest of coop.Not sure if this helps you any, just thought I would share.

 

[nharbison0722]

All 6 of my chickens, 5 hens and 1 too slept cuddled together on the floor by the coop door til they were about 5 months old. Not sure why. After some type predator managed to bust through heavy duty chicken wire and also open the coop door and my chickens fled to the roosting and nesting area to escape attack. Ever since then they go to sleep on the roosting area at sundown. I'm assuming it was the scare that motivated them. There roosting area is up high and enclosed from rest of coop.Not sure if this helps you any, just thought I would share.

Thanks for the info! My chicks have not had a scare that I'm aware of. Then again, I could be wrong!
Take care!

 

[lazy gardener]

Check the interior of the coop for roost mites. You'll need to most likely do this after dark with a strong flash light. You can also use a white rag to wipe down the roosts, or perhaps tie it tightly around the roost where it meets the wall for a night, and inspect it for the presence of mites or any blood stains. Look the coop over very carefully for any opportunity for the coop to be invaded by mice or rats. Hardware cloth over all openings? How many birds? How big is the coop? Length of the roost?

 

[aart]

Check the interior of the coop for roost mites. You'll need to most likely do this after dark with a strong flash light. You can also use a white rag to wipe down the roosts, or perhaps tie it tightly around the roost where it meets the wall for a night, and inspect it for the presence of mites or any blood stains. Look the coop over very carefully for any opportunity for the coop to be invaded by mice or rats. Hardware cloth over all openings? How many birds? How big is the coop? Length of the roost?

VIQ^^^^^
Very Important Questions

 

[nharbison0722]

Check the interior of the coop for roost mites.  You'll need to most likely do this after dark with a strong flash light.  You can also use a white rag to wipe down the roosts, or perhaps tie it tightly around the roost where it meets the wall for a night, and inspect it for the presence of mites or any blood stains.  Look the coop over very carefully for any opportunity for the coop to be invaded by mice or rats.  Hardware cloth over all openings?  How many birds?  How big is the coop?  Length of the roost?  

Thanks for the advice. I greatly appreciate it! I think I might have figured out the problem..... the roost inside the coop only fits 7 full grown chickens. That leaves out any room for the remaining 3, as I have 10 in all. I guess that the 3 HAD been sleeping on the floor of the coop. Again, I'm just assuming. So I will need to install another roost to accommodate them. I found all this out by going out there the other night before I was scheduled to have spine surgery and opened the coop and found them sleeping the way they were.
Also, if there WERE to be roost mites, what can be done to get rid of them?
Thanks again! Take care!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Roost mites: Total clean out of coop. Destroy all litter removed. wash down all surfaces of the coop, apply miticide, paying particular attention to the cracks where roost meets wall. Don't forget nest boxes: favorite mite hang out. Treat birds with appropriate miticide, as well as the coop. Repeat again 7 - 10 days later to get any new mites that would have hatched from eggs after the first treatment. Exhausting job to do. Been there, done that. Thankfully only had to do it once. I put aromatic herbs in the nest boxes, don't know if it helps, but haven't had issue since doing so. I used permethrin powder.

 

[nharbison0722]

Roost mites:  Total clean out of coop.  Destroy all litter removed.  wash down all surfaces of the coop, apply miticide, paying particular attention to the cracks where roost meets wall.  Don't forget nest boxes:  favorite mite hang out.  Treat birds with appropriate miticide, as well as the coop.  Repeat again 7 - 10 days later to get any new mites that would have hatched from eggs after the first treatment.  Exhausting job to do.  Been there, done that.  Thankfully only had to do it once.  I put aromatic herbs in the nest boxes, don't know if it helps, but haven't had issue since doing so.  I used permethrin powder.

Wow! That is an incredible amount of work!! But I know it might be necessary if I do indeed find that there is an infestation. Thank you so much for all the info! I greatly appreciate it!
Take care,
Neil

 

[aart]

Quote: Still need to know this^^^^^^..before you jump to awful bug conclusions.

 

[kconley]

This is one of the more annoying features of some chicks! don't they appreciate a beautiful coop?

My chicks are doing the same thing, all sleeping outside when the rest of the flock is inside. Every night I move them but they don't seem to pick up on the fact they should be there. Close the chickens in the coop for a few days, so they have no option but to sleep there. Then they may stay there from habit.